Jake Reynolds

“We are what we repeatedly do…” said Will Durant in his text The Story of Philosophy; this quote has been misattributed to Aristotle, but that’s neither here nor there. I am of course writing this to speak about the power of consistency! I preach consistency ad nauseam to clients. As it is my belief that consistency is one of the requisite principles for achieving goals. So it is only right that I go into a further explanation of why I believe consistency to be so relevant to goal achievement from a health and wellness standpoint. Hopefully, you will find that…

It’s time to highlight the Breaststrokers! Did you know that ~85% of breaststrokers will experience at least 1 episode of knee pain in their career? Moreover, breaststrokers also show a ~70% higher incidence of MRI abnormalities compared to same age controls. This is because the forces that the knee endures during a breaststroke kick are torsional and/or valgus (medial knee gapping) forces by nature. While the knee is physiologically capable of torsional and valgus movements, they should only occur in small ranges and not repetitively. Being a hinge joint, the knee primarily moves forward and backward, such as in a…

The most common cause of time lost in the pool for swimmers is shoulder pain. You may have heard this referred to as “swimmers shoulder,” but this really does not give accurate description of what is actually occurring. More often than not “swimmers shoulder” is actually a “subacromial impingement,” which roughly translates into “pinching under the acromion.” If you look at the diagram below you can see the bony process attached to the shoulder blade (scapula) called the acromion. This bone is essentially the “roof” that houses a portion of the rotator cuff (supraspinatus muscle). Many times when a rotator…

Did you know that having weak gluteal muscles could contribute to shoulder pain? If you’ve ever spent time with a physical therapist, chiropractor, or masseuse you may often hear them say the phrase: “Everything is connected.” This seems like a vague way to explain your symptoms, but when you understand functional anatomy you know that the human body is a series of connected chain links that are interdependent on one another to make up a strong chain. It is well known that the shoulder is the most commonly injured body region in…

Most everyone has experienced cramping during various athletic events or workouts. Often times we attribute cramping to be the result of dehydration or electrolyte imbalances, but there is some literature that indicates that this may not be the most appropriate theory. While the muscle is the tissue that experiences a cramp, it may not actually be the driver behind the cramp. Instead, literature generally accepts that cramping is actually nerve mediated, whether peripherally (nerves outside of the spinal cord) or centrally (spinal cord/brain) driven is still up for debate. What is evident though, is that cramping and fatigue normally go…

PREVALENCE Did you know that low back pain (LBP) is the 3rd highest reason Americans visit the doctor? In fact, this number is so high it is considered an “epidemic.” The economic burden low back pain has on the United States is estimated to be as high as $100 billion annually. DIAGNOSTICS So you ask, if the prevalence is just as high as the common cold, why are we, the healthcare system, so bad at treating and helping individuals manage LBP? Well as it turns out our approach for diagnosing and treating LBP was off. In the past we have…

In my last blog we discussed the concept of “training in the in-between,” living with intention and reframing our mindset about fitness, health, and longevity to unlock untapped potential. By making premeditated decisions related to warm-up, recovery, and using small opportunities to manage or prevent symptoms, we might be able to live into a richer life. Turning potential energy into kinetic energy, if you can recall your old physics classes. If not, check out this horrible polka song explaining potential-vs-kinetic energy, you’ll be sure to never forget it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vl4g7T5gw1M … Just kidding, seriously don’t click the hyperlink. The song is…

In dealing with individuals learning to rehab and cope with injuries, I tend to encounter a number of clients who have bewilderment about how they got injured to begin with, especially when there was not a clear or memorable mechanism of injury. “I was perfectly fine and then just woke up with my hip hurting.” Or “I workout every day and am really active, I don’t see how I could be weak enough to get injured.” These scenarios are reality for most active people. Injuries and pain are an unfortunate part of life and sometimes we break down and require…